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Greg Rutherford denies claims of withdrawal from SPOTY running

Greg Rutherford confirms that he will attend the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony, but labels Tyson Fury's comments on homosexuality "derogatory".

Greg Rutherford has confirmed that he will attend the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony.

Reports had suggested that the Olympic long jump champion was threatening to withdraw from the shortlist after Tyson Fury was nominated, despite the boxer equating homosexuality to abortion and paedophilia.

While Rutherford labelled Fury's remarks as "out-dated and derogatory", he has released a statement to confirm that he will be in attendance at the awards ceremony in Dublin on December 20.

He said: "In light of seeing reports circulating regarding my involvement with BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, I feel I should clarify the current situation.

"I have been in discussions with the BBC regarding my involvement with SPOTY after hearing what I believe to be very out-dated and derogatory comments from a fellow SPOTY nominee.

"Everybody has the right to freedom of speech, which is something that we as a society have struggled with and fought for generations to get to where we are now but by the nature of these comments, undermine the struggles that we have been through. As such, I wanted to speak with the BBC about sharing a stage with somebody that had views that are so strongly against my own.

"After doing so, I can confirm that reports that I am withdrawing from the ceremony are not true. The BBC have been hugely supportive in hearing my own views and I am hugely honoured and privileged to be included on the shortlist for such a prestigious event alongside so many remarkable sporting personalities, majority of whom I will proudly say to my son and I had the chance to meet."

Fury - who has been stripped of his IBF world heavyweight title today - will be questioned by police regarding his remarks.

Rutherford's place on the shortlist comes in the aftermath of his long jump gold medal at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

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Kristian Johnson
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British Tyson Fury celebrates after the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO title bout against Ukrainian world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko in Duesseldorf, western Germany, on November 28, 2015. Fury won the fight after 12 Rounds of Boxing.
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